Giang A De, born 1989, CEO of Hello Mu Cang Chai Travel, is one of a few Hmong people in La Pan Tan who have a good education background. Passing the university entrance exam in 2007, he was the pride of the neighborhood then. After graduating, Giang A De worked  at Viettel Mu Cang Chai, then got married  like every other Hmong.

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Foreign tourists at Giang A De’s homestay (Picture taken before April, 2021)

Seeing foreign tourists camping by the river, Giang A De thought it would be dangerous if floods suddenly hit the camping site at night. “So I came up with the idea of building a comfortable resting place for travelers when they visit my homeland,” he said.

Making the decision after less than a month, Giang A De faced formidable obstacles when carrying out the plan. He had to deal with tricky problems related to choosing land, raising fund, and how to develop tourism without disregarding the Hmong’s traditions. Building a homestay was hard but operating one was even more challenging. More and more foreign tourists stopped by, but both Giang A De and his wife could not speak English. Later on, his wife came to work as a waitress in Sapa to study English while he ran the homestay.

After 3 years, Giang A De achieved the first success. The homestay welcomed 600 tourists with a revenue of more than 250 million dong in 2019. He upgraded his homestay into the “Hello Mu Cang Chai Travel” limited liability company with the slogan “Reach to like, come to love” in 2020. The company has provided regular jobs for 8 employees, 6 seasonal guides and 12 motorbike taxis. They have not only offered training courses for homestay owners on customer services and hotel applications, but also opened free English classes for children in La Pan Tan.

With all of his hard work and contribution, Giang A De received many awards from Yen Bai province. He is one of the honored to receive the “Youth Living Beautifully” Award 2021 hosted by the Vietnam Youth Federation and T.C.Pharma Group.

Translated by Tra My - Nhu Quynh - Hong Ngoc - Song Thuong